Musa basjoo in Ängelholm, Sweden, summer 2002 (planted 1996).
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If you want to create a "tropical" effect in a garden, then banana plants are totally unbeatable. There is mainly only one banana species that can be useable; Musa basjoo (Japanese Fibre Banana). It looks exactly as a banana plant is supposed to do but it does not produce any edible bananas, or they are at least small and full of kernels. It is quite hard to make it blossom in Scandinavia if it is planted outdoors in the ground year-round, but it is not totally impossible.
Musa basjoo in Ängelholm, Sweden, summer 2002 (planted 1996).
Musa basjoo flower stem in Ängelholm, Sweden, summer 2002. It is required that the pseudo-stem has survived several years before it will bloom.
Unfortunately, banana plants are just a pleasure for the summer months in Scandinavia. Even though the plants can be overwintered outdoors, they are only beautiful in the summer. The leaves cannot withstand much frost but the underground tubers will survive the winter and produce new pseudostems if the ground is covered well. The tubers can perhaps withstand some ground freezing but it is more safe to cover the ground in the winter. It is also possible to overwinter the pseudostems (which actually consist of the leaf stalks) if they are well protected. It is hardly possible to save the leaves, unless the plant is dug up and brought into a greenhouse.
One way to protect banana plants in the winter that works for me well is to cut off the leaves and build a protection of 10 centimetres thick sheets of expanded polystyrene around the pseudostems. Inside the protection, around the stems, I fill up with balls of Leca (light expanded clay aggregate). I do not fill up all the way since this would require large quantities of Leca balls, which would be quite expensive. The part of the pseudostems that is protected by the Leca will probably not freeze even in very cold winters. The parts that are unprotected by the Leca may be damaged in very cold weather but even if the outer parts of the stems will freeze, the inner parts are normally undamaged. It is probably good to open the protection after cold periods and cut off damaged parts of the stems in order to prevent rotting. The more of the stems that will survive the winter, the better start the banana plant will get the next summer and the bigger it will get. The plant will survive in any way.
Musa basjoo may grow to 4–6 metres in warm climates, but it is not likely that it will reach that size in Scandinavia if it is planted in the ground all year round. If it is overwintered in a greenhouse it may grow larger. It is necessary to water and fertilize generously throughout the summer to make it grow as fast as possible. The banana plant should preferably be planted on a sunny and wind-sheltered location It is always sad to see the leaves be broken, snapped and torn by the wind.
Winter protection of Musa basjoo, January 2005, and a close-up picture without the "lid" in the beginning of March 2005.
There are probably also other species of banana (Musa) that can be grown outdoors in the same way as Musa basjoo, perhaps even species that can produce edible fruits (even though no fruits should be expected in Scandinavia). An interesting species that is even more beautiful than M. basjoo is M. sikkimensis (syn. M. hookeri) from Himalaya. It has dark green leaves with a tint of red. Unfortunately, it seems like M. sikkimensis is not as hardy as M. basjoo. Another banana relative that could be interesting to test is Musella lasiocarpa. It is also not as hardy as Musa basjoo and it grows more slowly. Also Ensete glaucum has a reputation of potential hardiness.
There are also other banana resembling plants that can grow outdoors. Different types of Canna (C. indica) have become popular in summer plantings outdoors. It is normally recommended that the tubers are dug up and stored cool indoors in the winter. This is not necessary and it is possible to overwinter the tubers in the ground if they are well protected.
The following garden centres sell Musa basjoo by mail order. No special permits or certificates are required to buy plants within the European Union.
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